Terron Armstead 40 time opens eyes at NFL scouting combine

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ever heard of Terron Armstead? If not, prepare to get to know the 2013 NFL Draft prospect a little better in the coming days.

Armstead provided a jolt to the league's scouting combine early Saturday, when he posted a 4.71 time in the 40-yard dash (he initially was clocked at an unofficial 4.65). That's well off the combine's record of 4.24 seconds, set in 2008 by Chris Johnson, but it's still the fastest time ever recorded here by an offensive lineman. His 10-yard split, unofficially, was 1.64 seconds.

An Arkansas Pine-Bluff product, Armstead measured in at 6-foot-5, 306 pounds, and his relatively blazing 40 time will help him continue to rise up draft boards -- he received an initial boost from a strong performance at the East-West Shrine Game.

Armstead played left tackle throughout his senior year at Pine-Bluff, but his athleticism makes him a candidate to play on either side of the line, as well as at guard. His speed could make him especially intriguing as an interior lineman.

The most likely candidate to run a sub-4.7 40 out of the offensive line group, at least headed into Saturday, was Oklahoma's Lane Johnson. The 6-foot-7 Johnson played high school quarterback and was a backup at that position as a junior-college standout, before transferring to Oklahoma. He said during Friday's media session that his goal was to get into the 4.6 range; he posted a 4.72 (unofficial 4.75) time, shortly after Armstead set the bar.

Armstead still does not project out to be a first-round pick, but he could hear his name called on Day 2. He was somewhat inconsistent as a collegiate tackle, but his raw athleticism, very much on display during Saturday's showing, could convince teams that he's loaded with upside.